Chapter 86: Chapter 86

The thugs who threw out the man and stepped out of the courtesan house smirking froze short upon seeing Jang Geon on horseback. Meeting the dull gaze beneath Jang Geon’s bamboo hat looking down at them, they looked at each other and suddenly spoke.

“What are you looking at? Just keep going your way.”

They were typical alley thugs. At those words, Gwan-ryang, who was pulling Jojo’s reins, turned white with fear, while Jang Geon softly let out smoke from his cigarette. *Hoo-*, seeing the smoke rising from his finger, the thug frowned and raised his voice.

“Ah, this bastard is ignoring me? Hey, do you want to die?”

As the thug shouted, two thugs standing behind him moved their shoulders intimidatingly. Seeing them, Gwan-ryang quickly let go of the reins and fell back, while Jang Geon merely rolled the cigarette in his mouth to the opposite corner, looking at them quietly.

The thug, dissatisfied with that reaction, raised a hand toward Jang Geon as if to grab him, but at that moment, the door of Great Peace Pavilion opened wide once more.

“Stop! Stop it!”

The man who burst out was the beaten man from a moment ago. His face was a mess, swollen and bleeding here and there, yet he shouted desperately as he ran toward them. Seeing him, the thug raised his foot and kicked his chest hard.

“Ugh!”

The man was pushed back and fell to the ground with a *teok*. He groaned while clutching his chest, while the thug clicked his tongue and raised his foot again.

“This idiot is still barging in. Do you really want to close down Great Peace Pavilion today?”

“Stop! Don’t touch the guest! Hit me instead!”

“Ha, look at this guy. Fine, die then!”

As the thug swung his fist down toward the man, Gwan-ryang, who had fallen back earlier, suddenly charged in like a bullet and bit the thug’s arm hard.

“Argh! What is this brat?!”

The thug shrieked and shook his arm violently, sending Gwan-ryang tumbling onto the ground. Gwan-ryang rolled across the damp street, quickly got up, and blocked his father’s front with both arms spread wide.

“Don’t hit my dad!”

“You little bastard…!”

Enraged, the thug raised his foot to kick Gwan-ryang. The beaten man desperately tried to cover Gwan-ryang with his body, but his battered body could not move fast enough.

Right then, a shadow fell over the thug’s head.

Before anyone realized it, Jang Geon had dismounted from Jojo and stood beside the thug. Feeling the shadow, the thug flinched and looked up, only to see Jang Geon’s hand lightly pressing down on his raised shoulder.

“Put the kid down.”

“What?”

“I said put him down.”

Jang Geon’s voice was calm, yet an indescribable pressure weighed down on the thug’s shoulder. The thug’s arm trembled, and he unconsciously took a step back.

“Wh-who are you? Are you meddling in Black Blood Gang’s business?”

“Black Blood Gang?”

Jang Geon tilted his head slightly. He had heard of various gangs operating in Gamsan, but he had no interest in their names.

“I am just a traveler looking for lodging. But it seems your noise is ruining my appetite.”

“You bastard… Kill him!”

At the thug’s shout, the two thugs behind him drew short blades from their waists and lunged at Jang Geon simultaneously.

They moved with practiced familiarity, clearly used to sudden violence in back alleys. Their blades thrust toward Jang Geon’s flank and throat in a pincer movement.

However, Jang Geon did not even draw his sword.

With a subtle shift of his body, he dodged the first blade by a hair’s breadth, his right hand flashing forward like a whip. *Puk!* A short, heavy strike landed precisely on the first thug’s solar plexus. The man collapsed like a puppet with cut strings without even making a sound.

Before the second thug could react to his companion’s instant fall, Jang Geon’s left palm struck his chin from below. *Tack!* The second thug’s head snapped back, eyes rolling into his head as he collapsed backward onto the muddy ground.

The entire exchange took less than two breaths.

The lead thug gaped, his face turning pale as paper. He took two steps back in terror, looking at his two unconscious companions, then at Jang Geon, who stood there as if nothing had happened, lightly dusting off his sleeves.

“M-martial arts expert…!”

“Now,” Jang Geon said softly, taking a step toward him. “Are you going to put the kid down and leave, or do you need help sleeping too?”

“Dad! Wake up, Dad!”

“…Is this bastard ignoring my words? Do you want to die!”

The thug shouted loudly at Jang Geon who was ignoring him, and gave a subtle wink to the other two. Thereupon, the two who were already tense charged toward Jang Geon in a pincer attack.

Both were individuals who had rolled around in the dark alleys for a long time, so it was a familiar surprise movement. That swiftness was at a level where it would be hard to react quickly even if expecting their surprise attack.

However, Jang Geon’s response facing that surprise attack was two short, sharp strikes.

A striking sound that sounded almost as one echoed *per-perk!*, and both thugs who had charged in low halted abruptly, then slunk forward and collapsed. Both men had eyes rolled back, having lost consciousness.

Realizing he hadn’t even seen him move properly, the thug turned deathly pale as he realized he was screwed.

“E-expert…”

Having lightly knocked out the two thugs, Jang Geon stepped stride by stride toward the remaining thug. And he placed his palm over the thug’s fist trembling in front of his chest.

“I told you to put the kid down.”

“…I-I put him down.”

Jang Geon shook his head.

“Too late.”

“No, what does that—ack, kka-ack!”

Jang Geon’s hand began to crush the thug’s fist. The thug’s fist, tightly clenched with his own internal energy, creaked *udeudeok* like oil being squeezed out. Pain beyond endurance prevented him from speaking, and he naturally fell to his knees.

Forcing him onto his knees, Jang Geon released the hand he held and spoke.

“Get lost carrying your friends.”

Holding his crushed right hand, the thug trembled violently and looked up at Jang Geon.

“…Y-you… can you handle the consequences?”

“Why? Are you going to call more of your friends?”

Looking down at him, Jang Geon lightly stroked his sword hilt with his left hand. At that sight, the thug’s face turned pale once more, and he quickly lowered his eyes, crawling on his knees toward the other thugs. Then, slinging one unconscious thug over his shoulder and dragging the other, he began to flee.

While the thugs fled, Jang Geon walked toward Gwan-ryang and the unconscious man.

“Let me see.”

“Y-yes?”

Gwan-ryang, who had witnessed Jang Geon’s skill in a brief moment, asked back numbly at his words. But Jang Geon flicked away the cigarette he held and sat beside them, checking the unconscious man’s neck pulse.

Checking the pulse for a moment, he even flipped open the unconscious man’s eyelids to examine him, then roughly wiped the blood on his hands onto the man’s clothes.

“He just passed out. Rest will do.”

“H-he’s alright?”

Gwan-ryang looked at his father’s battered face. Not only was it swollen badly, but it was cut and bleeding here and there. It didn’t look alright at all.

“His face is a mess. But there is no threat to his life.”

Ruffling Gwan-ryang’s hair, Jang Geon spoke thus and stood up from his spot. As he stood up, people who had been hesitating inside the courtesan house rushed out to the man.

“Quickly take him inside! One person go fetch a doctor! Hurry!”

They took the unconscious man inside the courtesan house and began cleaning up the broken window frames and messy front. As Jang Geon stood a step back watching that, someone approached and bowed deeply.

“Thank you. If the Great Hero had not helped, not only the Master but also Gwan-ryang would have been severely hurt. Thank you truly, Great Hero.”

The person offering thanks was a young woman. Her unadorned face without makeup stood out all the more. Looking at her bowing, Jang Geon spoke.

“I am Jang Geon.”

“Ah, so you are Great Hero Jang. I am called Jang A-yeong. On behalf of Great Peace Pavilion, once again to Great Hero Jang—”

“Just call me warrior or by my name. Do not call me Great Hero.”

The woman who revealed her name as Jang A-yeong paused for a moment and looked up at Jang Geon. Confirming his calm face, she bowed lightly again and answered,

“Yes, Warrior Jang-nim. I shall do so. From what I saw earlier, it seems you came to lodge under Ryang’s guidance. Would you like to step inside?”

“There was a commotion, yet you are operating?”

Jang A-yeong smiled softly and spoke,

“A commotion of this degree doesn’t even count as a commotion. And since that commotion has already been concluded, why would the courtesan house close its doors?”

At that smooth answer, Jang Geon also smirked *pisi-k*.

“That is good then. I shall stay for a few days.”

“Yes, Warrior Jang-nim. Welcome to Great Peace Pavilion.”

Thus Jang Geon came to stay at the Gamsan City courtesan house Great Peace Pavilion. And while Jojo had seemed indifferent while Jang Geon was fighting the thugs, he smirked and continuously snorted at the touch of Great Peace Pavilion women leading him to the stable. Having been rejected by mares he met recently, he now seemed to like any female regardless of whether horse or human.

Watching him as he entered the courtesan house, Jang Geon merely shook his head pityingly.

* * *

Jang Geon sat before a lavishly set dining table, sipping his liquor.

As a reward for saving the Master and his son, he was assigned a fourth-floor room in Great Peace Pavilion. Unlike the second and third floors, the fourth floor consisted of only three special suites. When he said he would eat first, the table served before his eyes was a feast. Furthermore, Jang A-yeong, who had first greeted him, came in and sat beside him, filling his cup.

However, even with that luxurious meal and woman before his eyes, Jang Geon merely sipped his liquor after eating enough to fill his belly. In truth, he was currently thinking about how to find that guy called Green Snake of the demonic palace.

If Bi-rang’s words were correct, the black spearhead obtained from the prairie spirit would vibrate finely when close to that Green Snake, letting him know he was nearby.

However, having already shown the past and dispersed much of its energy, it was unknown how close the spearhead needed to get to Green Snake to vibrate. If he wasn’t careful, Jang Geon might have to wander around Gamsan City all day holding a single spearhead like looking for a needle in a desert.

Jang Geon drank the liquor filled in his cup by Jang A-yeong. *Hool-jok*.

He had no intention of wandering around Gamsan City blindly like that. Catching and beating that Green Snake guy was just a task, and he didn’t intend to devote his life to it. Then he needed to broaden his line of thought a bit.

At the end of his memory, Green Snake had said the line in Gamsan City was ruined so he went to fix it. From that story, Jang Geon could guess who the demonic palace’s tie in Gamsan must have been. Seo Wi-ryang, whom he had fought while robbing the silver transport carriage. His backing had been someone named Son of the Gamsan Merchant Association. Jang Geon only remembered his surname was Son.

At any rate, when Seo Wi-ryang died then, the demonic palace’s tie extending down to him had likely been exposed in Gamsan as well. Those Dark Dragon Bureau agents must have moved, and the Imperial Army must have moved too. Since the snake’s head in Gamsan had been severed, a new head must have arrived.

Jang Geon drank the refilled cup again.

If so, finding Green Snake becomes quite complex. If demonic palace forces remained in Gamsan, they would be those who lost their leaders and hid after the Imperial Army’s pursuit and blades yesterday, and if the new head Green Snake joined them, their movements would be all the more secret and elusive.

If the Gamsan forces had been completely wiped out by the Imperial Army, Green Snake would be building those ties again from scratch. Of course, since he too must move avoiding the intensified eyes of the Dark Dragon Bureau, finding him would be equally difficult.

Jang Geon toyed with the cup placed on the table by Jang A-yeong.

Ultimately, what Jang Geon had to do was resort to a direct approach. Starting from the bottom of this city, track down suspicious underground movements, trace the branches upward, and confirm who the owner at the end was. The period when the evil spirit was active was recent. Naturally, Green Snake’s arrival in Gamsan must also be recent. If so, at the root of the shadows crawling through Gamsan’s back alleys recently, he would be there.

Whether by luck, as soon as he entered Gamsan, he naturally collided with Gamsan’s underworld. He had obtained the method and pretext to dig deep into it.

Jang Geon raised his cup to his lips and drank slowly. And as he set down that cup, Jang A-yeong, who had been refilling his cup until now, could endure no longer and asked,

“Are you not curious?”

Jang Geon looked back at her. She was looking at Jang Geon with a somewhat flustered expression.

“About what?”

“…About the commotion Jang Great—no, Warrior Jang-nim resolved. Why they were beating our Master, who they are, who is behind them, and so on. Are you not curious about anything?”

Jang Geon smirked softly. She had likely imagined a scenario where they sat face to face alone preparing against those thugs. Yet as Jang Geon ate and drank silently, she felt bewildered.

Since his thoughts were roughly organized, Jang Geon nodded and was about to tell her to speak about those thugs and the Master. However, the door opening came a bit faster.

Jang A-yeong was startled to see the figure who opened the door and entered.

“Master?”

“…Far from sending our benefactor off, you set a table and detain him—what are you doing?”

“No, Master. It’s not like that…”

Her words were blocked by the actions of the man called Master. The man called Master had a face bruised and torn here and there. Yet unlike his facial condition, he moved with refined and orderly poise, closing the door and kneeling before Jang Geon’s dining table. First bowing his head deeply, he spoke,

“I heard you saved my son. Thank you truly. A reward is being prepared right now.”

Having spoken thus, he soon raised his head and continued with a firm face,

“…However, there is no need for our benefactor to be entangled in this matter further, so please depart.”

“Master!”

Jang A-yeong was startled by that dismissal and called out to the Master. However, even with his battered face, his determination was clear, and Jang A-yeong had no choice but to bite her lip and look back and forth between Jang Geon and the Master.

Gazing into the Master’s firm eyes, Jang Geon reached out and grabbed the liquor bottle. And slowly refilling his cup, he asked,

“If I depart, those thugs will not leave this courtesan house alone. If you want to live, holding onto me is the best move. Why are you telling me to depart?”

“Currently, the back alley organizations of Gamsan are undergoing a period of turmoil. Every bastard is growing their power and clashing under the unexpressed tacit allowance of the Martial Alliance for some reason. And the organization that thug belonged to is the one aiming for the very top among them. Dozens of thugs carrying blades will likely swarm here by tomorrow.”

As the Master spoke, he slowly straightened his body and sat upright facing Jang Geon. That movement and posture were not merely those of a courtesan house owner. Jang Geon thought he might be a scion of a ruined noble clan.

Jang Geon spoke,

“You are telling me to flee because my life will be in danger. But that is not an answer to my question.”

The Master let out a small sigh and answered,

“…In today’s world, there are few who willingly step forward unless it is their own business. Even fewer are those who step forward knowing greater hardship lies at the end of that action. Though we only conversed briefly, Great Hero seems to have guessed that hardship while saving my son, but I do not want such a righteous person to be hurt because of me and my courtesan house.”

Jang Geon raised his self-filled cup to moisten his lips and quietly observed the Master. His eyes were too clear for a man running a courtesan house. That bruised face and clear eyes did not match at first glance, but looking closely, one could see a man who had not lost faith in humanity despite numerous hardships and adversity.

Setting down the empty cup, Jang Geon spoke,

“My name is Jang Geon. Do not call me Great Hero, call me warrior or by my name.”

“Pardon? Ah, yes, Warrior Jang. At any rate, you must depart…”

“I will not go.”

Jang Geon looked into the surprised eyes of the Master and Jang A-yeong as he continued,

“Thank you for your goodwill, Master, but the one who should feel sorry is not you.”

“…Wh-why is that…?”

“Because for a while, your business will be ruined on account of me.”

The two looked at Jang Geon with blank expressions, blinking, while he unconcernedly refilled his cup again. Raising his cup lightly, Jang Geon toasted them and drank it down. Now all that remained was to wait for the mob of Gamsan’s underworld to arrive.